Borys Hmyria

Borys Romanovych Hmyria (August 1, 1969) PAU, was a Ukrainian and Soviet bass singer of opera and art song. He was known for his vocal range and performance style through his combination of the qualities of a basso cantante and basso profondo, enabling him to perform multiple roles in performance.

Hmyria first achieved national prominence in the late 1930s after winning second place at the All‑Union Vocalists’ Competition, and subsequently became a leading soloist of the Kyiv Opera. During World War II, Hmyria remained in German-occupied Ukraine due to health issues which prevented him from evacuating, and performed under local theatre administrations. He later refused to evacuate with the Germans, which led Soviet authorities to view him as a collaborator, and he narrowly avoided imprisonment. Despite this controversy, he returned to the Kyiv Opera, where he performed for nearly two decades afterward. During his career, he received the titles of People's Artist of the USSR, the Stalin Prize, and Order of Lenin.

Early life and education Hmyria was born in 1903 in Lebedin, Kharkov Governorate, Russian Empire (today part of Ukraine). In 1930, he started attending the Kharkiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, where he first started singing for fellow students during breaks. Pavlo Holubiev, of the Kharkiv Conservatory, who was initially unimpressed by Hmyria, eventually started trying to help him due to his manner of speaking. had it not been for Joseph Stalin's intervention. Hmyria's partner, Valentina Ishchenko, was exiled to Vorkuta in the Komi ASSR.

Later career Following the war, Hmyria performed at the Kiev Opera Theatre until a dispute with the conductor over his use of tempo rubato (or slightly speeding up or slowing down the rhythm of a track rather than keeping to the beat). He considered rubato a core creative principle in his works, but his dispute with the conductor escalated into a public accusation that he was lowering the quality of productions for the theatre.

During the summer of 1962, Shostakovich was completing his Thirteenth Symphony; the bass soloist part had been composed with Hmyria's voice in mind. The singer was reluctant to commit accepting the responsibility of singing the premiere performance, despite the composer's repeated urging. On August 15, Hmyria declined the assignment citing his objections to Yevtushenko's verses, but attended the premiere performance on December 18. After the concert, Hmyria wrote: "This evening I listened to Shostakovich's Thirteenth Symphony. My greatest impressions: 'Babi Yar,' 'In the Shop.'"

Awards and legacy In 1951, he was awarded with the title of People's Artist of the USSR, and in the following year he also got the Stalin Prize. Nearly a decade later, in 1960, he was awarded the Order of Lenin. However, he has generally remained unknown in Ukraine, and as of 2018, there is no monument or publicly accessible museum dedicated to him. The Hmyria Foundation, which is run by his heirs, has worked to digitize his recordings of nearly 3,000 works since then.